Narasimha Rao wanted mosque built at Ayodhya: D B Roy

The then senior superintendent of police of Faizabad district D B Roy on Thursday alleged that the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao had issued an instruction for the demolition of the make-shift temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya on the night of December 6, 1992 and for construction of a mosque in its place.

"Rao, who then was prime minister had promised the nation that a masjid would be constructed anew at the site and therefore made all efforts to get the temple demolished on that night," Roy told the Liberhans Commission probing the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

Alleging that Rao had instructed his 'orderlies' to demolish the make-shift temple, Roy said the plan did not materialise.

Deposing as a witness before the commission, Roy said though the Centre, subsequent to the demolition, had issued orders for suspending many senior officers, including the home secretary, Director General of Police and the Inspector General of Police of that zone, the same was not implemented following reports that it would cause a revolt in the force.

He also alleged that he and the then district magistrate were implicated in a false charge sheet with the help of the CBI to make up for the inaction against other police officials.

Roy also charged the CBI with having deliberately left, allegedly on the instructions of the central government, lacunae in the demolition case charge sheet to enable senior BJP leaders, including Lal Kishenchand Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, escape prosecution.

Charging the CBI with having acted in a partisan manner throughout the episode, he said it did not even care to record statements of BJP leaders Lalji Tandon and Brahma Dutt Dwivedi, who were sent by the Uttar Pradesh government to Ayodhya as its representatives.